Various brush seal systems for thermal gas turbines are known from the prior art. There are numerous applications in which two parts that may be moved relative to one another are to be non-hermetically sealed against one another. One such application for instance is sealing an annular gap between a stator and a rotor of a gas turbine for an aircraft, through which gap gas flows. Brush seal systems are frequently used for non-hermetically sealing annular intermediate spaces between assemblies that rotate relative to one another because brush seal systems are lighter and more compact than labyrinth seals and have the same sealing effect. For example, US 2002/0020968 A1 discloses different brush seal systems for aircraft engines. The brush seal systems each include a multi-part brush seal housing that receives an area of the actual brush seal and secures it in position. To this end, each brush seal housing comprises at least one support plate and one cover plate that are connected to one another and that together wrap around at least one brush head of the brush seal system in a U shape and secure it against falling out of the brush seal housing. The cover plate or the area of the two-part brush seal housing disposed upstream in the flow direction is intended primarily to hold off interfering flow influences on a brush packet that projects from the brush head and out of the brush seal housing, while the support plate of the brush seal housing, which support plate is disposed downstream in the flow direction, is a support element that is intended to prevent the brush packet from flexing in the axial direction of the aircraft engine due to the pressure difference over the brush seal housing. One-piece bush seal housings are also known that are likewise embodied in at least an approximate U-shape.
However, it is a drawback of the known brush seal systems that repair of the brush seal housing, for instance after rubbing against the rotor of the gas turbine, is relatively complicated and expensive. In addition, the brush seal housing can damage the rotor if the former touches against the latter. Since, due to its function as a brush seal carrier and support element of the brush packet, the configuration of the brush seal housing can only be varied to a very limited degree, however, in the past an embodiment of known brush seal systems that is more tolerant to such touching and is more repair-friendly has not been possible.
A need therefore exists, for an improved brush seal system of the aforesaid type that permits a more geometrically variable and repair-friendly embodiment. A need further exists, for a method for producing such a brush seal system and for a thermal gas turbine having such a brush seal system.